Guatemalans Demand
Security
Guatemalan Local
Security Boards asked
Government Minister
Vinicio Gomez for more
police vigilance to
fight the high crime
rates currently
affecting the country.
In some areas in
southern Guatemala City,
there are only five
agents to keep watch
over 100,000 people,
asserted Daniel Ordoņez,
representative of El
Mezquital, Bucaro, and
Villalobos communities,
considered high-risk
areas.
The local boards were
created in 1999 to unify
efforts of the people
and security machinery
to fight crime, and
there are currently some
350 of them functioning.
In its first meeting
with the new minister,
they requested better
coordination between the
prosecutor's office and
the police to avoid that
those captured are freed
a few hours later for
lack of evidence.
Gomez recently
recognized that over 60
percent of those
arrested in raids in the
city's red zones are on
the streets again.
Another serious problem
is lack of safety on
buses, which are
frequently the target of
attacks.
In the last 24 hours,
seven workers of this
service - five
chauffeurs and two
assistants - have died
in different violent
incidents.
The government minister
suspended all police
holidays after these
attacks, and put the
capital under strict
surveillance. |
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